Teams shut their doors to the minority in the Muslim-majority nation

There are currently no Coptic Christians playing for Egyptian professional soccer clubs or the national team and discrimination in the Muslim-majority nation is being blamed rather than a lack of talent.

Copts comprise about 15 percent of Egypt's 96 million population, making them the largest ethno-religious minority. Most are members of the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Coptic Catholic Church.

Their community suffered in the 1950's under pan-Arab nationalist leader Gamal Abdel Nasser and they continue to complain about unfair treatment in areas ranging from employment to education.

A recent Agence France Presse article examines how young Copts face barriers when it comes to playing the game they love at a high level.

Mina Bendary, 22, believes that his Coptic Christian name was causing Muslim-dominated teams to reject him, so he established an academy to train Christian footballers and protect their rights.

While there are now no Coptic Christians playing at the highest level of soccer in Egypt, there have been a few past exceptions.

For example, a Coptic player name Hany Ramzy was national captain in the 1990s before leaving to play for foreign teams.

Former Egypt international and Tottenham Hotspur striker Ahmed Hossam, known as Mido, made a rare public statement in April about what some see as worsening prejudice.

"How is it possible that in the history of Egyptian football, there have only been five Christian players in the top level?" he asked.

"There are Christian players who stop playing at a young age because of the discrimination of some of the coaches," Mido said.

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